Pets and Leaving Cuba

At present, there are animal protection societies in Cuba that adopt abandoned pets. You can find them on Facebook.

By Nike

HAVANA TIMES – Yesterday I read a letter on Facebook that inspired me to tell you this story.

When I was only 7 years old, I was moved by what happened to a little dog that lived very close to my grandparents. The owners of it were friends of my family and my brothers and I were going often to play with the children of that house.

They always invited us to their birthdays. It was a very beautiful large house with corridor portals, a very large garden with flowers and other ornamental plants, a fountain in the center and grass that covered the entire garden, surrounded by a stone wall. Our parents felt it very safe for us to run around and play with their very affectionate little dog.

One day I found out that the family left the country. Nobody knew because of the mystery that Cubans have with the topic of travel. As I have said in previous articles, they keep that topic in “Top Secret”.

We noticed their departure because when we went to their house to play, the house was always closed and the puppy came to greet us from the doorway and even came out from under a board that was missing from the front gate.

Every day at about 4 in the afternoon the dog would go to the bus stop to wait for its owners to return from work, then when night came he would return home and lay down to sleep on the porch.

I told my grandparents who were always animal lovers and especially my grandfather with dogs. He wanted to adopt him and took him to his house, but it was of no use, he always ran away and returned to his home. From then on, my grandfather and other neighbors brought him water and food every day. However, little by little the little animal faded from sadness and died.

I am very saddened by the number of years that these abandonments of pets by their families have been happening.

At present, there are animal protection societies in Cuba that adopt abandoned pets. You can find them on Facebook. I recommend to all people who want to emigrate from the country, that they first take their pets to these societies that will love and care for them and will find them a responsible owner so that they are not abandoned.

A better ending for both.

Read more from Nike here on Havana Times

Nike

I was born in Havana, Cuba. All my life I have had the sea as a landscape. I like being close to it, feeling its breeze, its smell, as well as swimming and enjoying the wonders it gives us. Thanks to the manual skill that I inherited from my parents, I have been able to live off crafts. I work primarily papier-mâché, making puppets for children. I write for Havana Times for the possibility of sharing with the world the life of my country and my people.